Combined hop press and filter.



A. G. HUPFEL.

COMBINED HOP PRESS AND FILTER. APPLICATION HLBDSBPT. 27, 1911.

Patented Apr. 14, 1914.

A. G. HUPFEL.

COMBINED HOP PRESS AND FILTER.

APPLICATION FILED s111112?, 1911.

1,0925994. Patented Apr. 14,1911

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

.ADOLPH GLASER HUPFEL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

COMBINED HOP PRESS AND FILTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. la, 1914i.

Application filed September 27, 1911.' Serial No. 651,507.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ADoLrH Gr. HUPFEL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, county of New York, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Combined Hop Presses and Filters, of which the following is a specification, the principle of the invention being herein explained and the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle, so as to distinguish it from other inventions.

The present invention relates more particularly to a combined hop press and filter of the general construction illustrated in U. S. Letters Patent No. 903,574, issued to me Nov. 10, 1908, and comprising a rotatable receptacle having perforated walls, a movable head fitted therein, connections for supplying the material to be operated upon to said receptacle, and means for respectively rotating said receptacle and actuating said movable head to compress such maferial, as desired. In order thus to supply the mixture of hops and wort, constituting the specific material in mind, to the receptacle while rotating, a sleeve or gland is so mounted upon the drum intermediately between its ends as to permit free rotation of the latter, the material being fed to the sleeve by a suitable exteriorly connected pipe, and passing from such sleeve into the drums interior through openings in the porw tion of the drums walls inclosed within the sleeve. A

The present improvements have as their object to decrease the friction and wear between the sleeve and the drum, as also to provide means whereby7 the hops are prevented from accumulating within the sleeve so as to congest or choke up the latter.

To the accomplishment of these and related ends, said invention, then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed outin the claims.

The annexed drawings and the following description set forth in detail certain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, but one of various mechanical forms in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawings z--Figure 1 represents, partly in section, and partly in side elevation, a combined press and filter embodying my present improvements; Fig.'l

2 is a transverse section thereof taken on the line 2-2, Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a similar transverse section taken on the line 3-3, liig. l; Fig. l is a section of a detail on the line awel, Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 illustrates a modified construction.

The details of the mounting and operating mechanism associated with the rotary drum 1 are not of present interest, and furthermore are substantially the same as in the patent above referred to. i Preferably said drum is supported near each end on rollers 2, as usual in structures of the kind in hand. The one end of the drum is furthermore provided with a removable head 3 and breech block 4, so as to permit the discharge of the compressed hops therethrough by opening said head. Compression of the latter is effected by means of a movable head 5 operated by a screw 6 that extends centrally within the drum, The permanently closed head 7 of the drum is moreover provided with passages 8 adapted to be supplied with water from the exterior of the drum and connected interiorly with longitudinally extending sparging pipes 9.

The sleeve 10, through which the material to be operated upon, is introduced into the drums interior, such sleeve having been previously referred to as of particular interest in the present connection, is held in place between two spaced parallel fianges, or guides 11, that encircle the drum, these flanges with the sleeve being preferably located midway between the ends of the drum so as to facilitate the even distribution of the introduced material within the latter. Said sleeve 10 is preferably constructed of two substantialy semi-circular sections, bolted together to facilitate the assembly and taking down of the structure, and is of greater diameter than the drum, having no bearing directly on the latter, but simply a lateral bearing against the inner faces of the respective flanges. An annular chamber is thus formed between the flanges and said sleeve from which the material is admittedto the interior of the drum through openings 12 of proper size formed in the portion of said drums cylindrical wall ly ing between said flanges. Packing strips 13 in the outwardly disposed bearing faces of the sleeve (see Fig. 4) insure a tight t between the sleeve and the flanges.

In order to maintain the sleeve in properly centered relation to the drum, a series of small rollers 14 is provided on each side of said sleeve, said rollers being disposed so as to track on the outer edges of the respective flanges ll between which said sleeve is secured. Said rollers are preferably spaced radially with respect to the axis of the drum, so as to leave a certain amount. of play between them and said flange edges, as sho-wn in Fig. l, in order that the sleeve may work backward and forward during the revolution of the press and thus prevent the packing surface from cutting ridges, as would otherwise be apt to occur. The same result may be secured by making the flange edges of slightly eccentric form, thus positively insuring the shifting or backward and forward working of the sleeve. This modification is illustrated in diagrammatic fashion in Fig. 5,"where the eccentricity of the flange edge l5 has been exaggerated to make the construction clear.

In addition to the openings l2 in the portion of the cylindrical wall lying between the flanges, through which the material lis normally admitted, I provide two slots, 1G preferably diametrically oppositely spaced, one on each side of the drum, such slots being of considerably larger area thanthe openings previously referred to, and extend ing transversely across the space between the iianges. Adjacent, then, to each of such slots, a deiiector plate 17 is secured to the drum, such deflector plate inclining forwardly in the direction of rotation of the drum within the sleeve and being of transverse sectional form such as to substantially fill such sleeve. Accordingly, as the drum rotates, these plates gather up any material which may not be passing through the openings 12, and by reason of their inclination, force such material through the slots 16 into the drums interior. The lower section of the sleeve l0 is, furthermore, provided with a trap door or gate 18 pivoted on a transverse axis 19 and normally held closed by means of a winged-nut 20 on a swinging bolt 21. By breaking the connection between the supply pipe 22 and the upper section of the sleeve, and opening this trap door, the entire interior of the sleeve is rendered relatively accessible, at least sufliciently so to permit such obstructions, as will ordinarily occur, to be removed.

It is not deemed necessary to describe the general operation of the press and filter as a whole, while as to the sleeve, that constitutes the feeding connection for the drum, it is believed the foregoing description will render clear its operation as well as its construction. Not only is the sleeve ordinarily maintained clear of the hops by means of the deiiectors and adjacent clearing ports, but the interior of said sleeve may be readily got at for cleansing and removal of obstructions not thus prevented.` Furthermore, by the improved mounting provided for the sleeve the wear between the latter and its supporting flanges is reduced to a minimum and rendered'uniform across the bearing faces of the flanges so as to prevent the formation of ridges, which would otherwise speedily result in a leaking joint.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be used instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed. Y

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention l. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a rotatable receptacle, of connections for supplying to said receptacle the material to be operated upon, said connections including a pair of spaced flanges encircling said receptacle and rotatable therewith, the wall of said receptacle between said flanges having o-penings for the admission of the material thereto, a sleeve having lateral bearing between said flanges, and an exterior supply connection for said sleeve.

2. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a rotatable receptacle, of connections for supplying to said receptacle the material to be operated upon, said connections including a pair of spaced flanges encircling said receptacle and rotatable therewith, the wall of said receptacle between said flanges having openings for the admission of the material thereto, a sleeve having lateral bearing between said flanges, an exterior supply connection for said sleeve. and rollers carried byisaid sleeve adapted to bear on the edges of said fianges.

3. In apparatus of the classV described, t-he combination with a rotatable receptacle,

of connections for supplying to said recep-l tacle the material to be operated upon, said connections including a pair of s aced flanges encircling said receptacle anc rotatable therewith, the wall of said receptacle between said flanges having openings for the admission of the material thereto, a sleeve having lateral bearing between said flanges, said sleeve being shiftable between said flanges transversely of said receptacles axis, and an exterior supply connection for said sleeve.

e. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a rotatable receptacle, of connections for supplying to said receptacle the material to be operated upon, said connections including a pair of spaced iianges encircling said receptacle and rotatable therewith, the wall of said receptacle between said flanges having openings for the admission of the material thereto, a sleeve having lateral bearing between said flanges, said sleeve being shiftable between llt) said receptacles axis, an exterior supply connection for said sleeve, and rollers carried by said sleeve adapted to bear on the edges of said flanges.

5. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a rotatable receptacle, of connections for supplying to said receptacle the material to be operated upon, said connections including a pair of spaced flanges encircling said receptacle, the wall of said receptacle between said flanges having openings for the admission of the material thereto, a sleeve inclosing the space between said flanges, an exterior supply connection for said sleeve, and means adapted to prevent the accumulation of material within said sleeve.

6. In apparatus of the class described, lhcombination of a rotatable receptacle, of connections for supplying to said receptacle the material to be operated upon, said connections including a pair of spaced lianges encircling said receptacle, the wall of said receptacle between said flanges having openings for the admission of the material thereto, a sleeve inclosing the space between said flanges, an exterior supply connection for said sleeve, and a deflector plate on said receptacle between said flanges adapted to gather up any accumulation of material within said sleeve.

7. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a rotatable receptacle, of connections for supplying to said receptacle the material to be operated upon, said conn nections including a pair of spaced flanges encircling said receptacle, the wall of said receptacle between said flanges having openings for the admission of the material thereto, a sleeve inclosing the space betweenl said flanges, an eXterior supply connection for said sleeve, and a deflector plate on said receptacle between said flanges adapted to gather up any accumulation of material within said sleeve, a slot, larger than the aforesaid openings, being formed in the receptacles wall adjacent to said deflector plate.

8. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a rotatable receptacle, of connections for supplying to said receptacle the material to be operated upon, said connections including a pair of spaced flanges encircling said receptacle, the wall of said receptacle between said flanges having openings for the admission of the material thereto, a sleeve inclosing the space between said flanges, an exterior supply connection for said sleeve, and a deflector plate on said receptacle between said flanges, said plate inclining forwardly in the direction of rotation of said receptacle and being adapted to gather up any accumulation of material within said sleeve, a slot, larger than the aforesaid openings, being formed in the receptacles wall in front of' said deflector plate.

9. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a rotatable receptacle, of connections for supplying to said receptacle the material to be operated upon, said connections including a pair of spaced flanges encircling said receptacle, the wall of said receptacle between said flanges having openings for the admission of the mate rail thereto, a sleeve inclosing the space be tween said flanges, an exterior supply connection for said sleeve, and a gate into said sleeve at a point substantially opposite te said supply connection.

Signed by me this 22nd day of Sept., 1911.

ADOLPH GLASER HUPFEL.

Attested by- J. C. M. S. HUPFEL, GEORGE SCHAEFFER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

